1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to a portable washing and drying device; and more particularly to a portable washing and drying device in a form of a suitcase that is transportable and ergonomic to handle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional washing machine and dryer is a relatively large appliance with a rotating drum driven by an electric motor. The rotating drum provides a tumbling action for washing as well as for drying the clothes. Sometimes, this device also includes an electrical heat source which produces hot air that passes over the clothes as the drum rotates. Such conventional appliance is usually permanently installed in the building and generally requires a large amount of electricity to operate. These conventional appliances usually serve the purpose when large loads of clothing items are required to be washed and/or dried, as in typical households.
Many travellers, either for business or family vacations, wish to wash and dry their clothes while they are away from their homes, where they do not have access to such washing appliances. Generally, in such cases, the amount of load is relatively small, that is, there are only limited number of garments that are needed to be washed and/or dried. One option is to wash clothes by hand which is very cumbersome and messy. Some places do offer laundry services but these are usually very expensive. These travellers would appreciate some portable and transportable device which could be used for washing and drying their clothes while they are away from their homes. Such device would also be appreciated by mobile homes owners or the like, which could not have dedicated laundry space to install large conventional washing and laundry appliances.
Applicant believes that a related reference corresponds to U.S. Patent Application No. 20120085133 (hereinafter referred to as '133 patent application), issued to Fran Z. Slutsky and Matthew Cataudella, which discloses a portable washing appliance for washing small quantities of clothing. A container open at the top has a first compartment for receiving an item of clothing for washing. The container includes a perforated basket which is motor or manually driven to effect a washing operation as well as pre-soaked and rinse operations. Water may be discharged from a first compartment in the container into at least one second compartment, located either below or adjacent thereto, which contains a removable waste receptacle. The waste receptacle collects wash water, rinse water and water extracted during a spin dry operations which may be discarded through a kitchen or bathroom sink drain.
The washing appliance of the '133 patent application although is purported as portable, but it may only be useful to the extent of moving around in the household because of its relatively large size. Further, the washing appliance of the '133 patent application may seem well-suited for use as a countertop type of appliance and may not be particularly suitable for carrying around, such as for travel purposes.
Other documents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.